Multiornamented watch



March 3, 1953 R. MELlK-MINASSIANTZ 2,629,981

- MULTIORNAMENTED WATCH Filed May 23, 1950 v 2 SHEETS-SHEET l March 3. 1953 R.- MELIK-MINAS SIANTZ 2,629,931

MULTIORNAMENTED WATCH Filed May 23, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 In Yen fvr fia ahdelMdiK-Mmassianfz Patented Mar. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MULTIORNAMENTED WATCH Raphael Melik-Minassiantz, Paris, France Application May 23, 1950, Serial No. 163,600 In France October 27, 1949 6 Claims.

The object of my invention is a watch, intended to be fastened on the wrist together with a set of easily removable bracelets, embellished with a diversity of fancy designs to suit any occasions for which it is worn, the watch itself is not provided with any fixed form of decoration.

For this purpose, there are arranged on each side of the watch, instead merely of the small bars used as a rule for the connecting f the bracelet as a permanent fixture, recesses of suitable shape for which there are of the bracelets corresponding types of adornment of shape similar to that of the recess of the watch. The positioning of a bracelet is effected by inserting in each recess the one of the halves of the bracelet that does not carry the decorative feature, then in causing the two bracelet portions to slide until their ornamental features have been put into their recesses where they may be held by means of a flexible device that ensures them a definite clamping effect. In this way may be executed, with a single watch of as plain a design as possible, by affixing one of these easily detachable bracelets, several pieces of jewelry of more or less rich appearance.

some modifications have been provided for linking up the bracelet halves and the watch. According to one of these, a method is preserved consisting of a kind of frame fastened to the watch, used as a housing for an adornment carried by the bracelet and that is fixed in it by a push fit. The new device is executed so that the fixing of the adornment in its frame is worked by sliding it in sideways.

Another linking modification consists in replacing the frames of the watch merely by small bars, while the ornaments carried by the two bracelet halves take the shape of hooks that catch on the small bars.

According to another modification, the watch shows a kind of T bolt, for which there is a corresponding recess in the ornament-carrying portion of the bracelet, while the coupling is completed by bringing the bracelet up to the bolt so that the bolt goes into the recess, then the bracelet is given a quarter of a turn.

As for the changing of the wrist-watch into just a bracelet, this is performed by adding to one of the ornament holders a fancy design set on a hinge that is made to cover the watch and engages with a locking device carried by the opposite ornament holder.

The accompanying drawings show various methods of carrying out my invention. a

Fig. 1 illustrates a watch before the bracelet is placed in position.

Fig. 2 illustrates the same watch furnished with its bracelets.

Fig. 3 shows the two parts of a bracelet before they are placed in position.

Figs. 4 and 5 show two other examples of adornment of the bracelet.

Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 illustrate the parts used for another method of setting and adornment.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of one of the methods for connecting the ornament-holding bracelet with the watch.

Fig. 12 shows a side view of this.

Fig. 13 shows a perspective view of another method of connecting.

Fig. 1% illustrates an ornament-holding brace let device finished off by a hinged fancy design intended to cover the watch-case.

As may be seen in Fig. 1, the watch I itself is not provided with any ornamental fixture; it is furnished on each side with a kind of frame or recess 2, presenting a way 3 for the setting of the bracelet 4. The latter carries (Fig. 3), at that of the ends of its two parts that have to be connected up with the watch, an ornamental design 5, on a body 6 that fits exactly in the recess 5 of the corresponding seating 2. The ornamental feature may be very plain (Fig. 2), provided with pearls or precious stones (Fig. 4) or again it may have a chequered pattern (Fig. 5) etc.

For putting the bracelet in position, each part of the bracelet is put in through the top into the recess 3 of the corresponding housing, and it slides through until the body 5 has been introduced into the housing 2. For its removal the reverse operation takes place. A small spring may be arranged on one of the sides of the housing 4 to give a clamping effect on the ornamental design when put into position.

In Fig. 6 and the following ones, the housing 2 for the particular adornment used shows two bearing surfaces constituting half-bearings to take a cylindrical or semicylindrical form of ornament 5 whose ends form pins. The ornamenting of the decorative feature may be a facing leather, or a fancy design embellished with precious stones, with pearls etc.

The fixing and removal of the bracelet is carried out just as in the case of Figures 1 to 5.

One change made may be understood without the help of any drawing. It deals with the setting 0f the ornaments carried by the two portions of the bracelet by wedging from top to bottom of the housings in the shape of frames (Figs. 1 to 5). In this case, the housings in the shape of frames are kept, but they show slides with which the ornaments used are fixed through slipping in sideways.

In Figs. 11 and 12, the watch I, without any ornamental feature itself, is provided on its sides with small bars 1 to which is fastened the hookshaped ends 8 and they carry ornamental fea tures 5 for both portions 4 of the bracelet.

When both portions of the bracelet are to be connected with the watch, accordin to the device illustrated in Fig. 13, the watch I shows on each of its sides a kind of very short T-Shapecl bolt 9, to which there is in the ornament holder 6 of the bracelet a corresponding recess through which is out an opening I!) for inserting the bolt 9. This opening is drilled along a direction at right angles to that of the head of the bolt 9.

For joining up the watch on each side, to the corresponding member 4 of the bracelet, the body 6 is brought up to the bolt 9 while heading it so as to enable this bolt to go into the opening It. When the bolt is home, the body 6 is caused to move round by a quarter of a turn and the loclring together is made.

In the modification as shown in 14, both parts of the bracelets are provided w h bodies 3 taking bodies 5 according to one of the suitable methods of execution as disclosed. One of the ornaments 5 is finished off by a decorative design ll set on a hinge. This design. i arranged so as to fold down on the watch while covering up the dial. It looks with the opposite ornament holder by any suitable means. The figure shows in full lines the decorative design i I resting over the dial. The broken line shows the design raised on its hinge 12. This piece of jewelry is ti changed into just a bracelet. This form oi execution may be adapted preferably to the case when the ornamental features carried by the bracelet are intended for obtaining a. piece oi jewelry of rich appearance. The fancy design ll will be dealt with accordingly.

This combination of a watch without any ornamental fixture with a range of easily exchangeable bracelets, that may be fiitted to it through the arrangement of housing recesses fastened to the Watch and of adornments carried the bracelets and fitted exactly into these housings, enables the wearers to obtain with a single watch several pieces of jewelry suitable for the various occasions on which they are worn. According to the character and the degree of rich appearance of the adornments, a watch may be executed for everyday use, for sporting, for occasions when a rich appearance is desired etc. by selecting from the range of bracelets the one for which the ornamental decoration is best suited.

I claim:

1. A watch comprising a plain watch case having a face and projecting portions at diametrically opposite sides thereof, a pair of ornaments readily detachably secured to and overlying said projecting portions, flexible bracelet portions attached to said ornaments, and a cover for face movably carried by one of aid ornaments.

2. A Watch comprising a plain watch hav ing a face and recesses at diametrically opposite sides of said case, a pair of ornaments readily detachably held one in each of said recesses, a flexible bracelet portion attached to each of said ornaments and thus attached by said ornament to the watch case, and a cover for said face movably carried by one of said ornaments.

3. The combination of a plain unornamented wrist watch case and a pair of detachable ornaments for said case, the case being characterized by having at opposite side edges laterally projecting portions in each of which there is an oblong socket opening at the face of the case and having an aperture from the bottom of the socket to the outside of said projecting portion, the longitudinal axes of said oblong sockets being parallel to one another, and said pair of ornaments being one of a series of such pairs, each ornament having an oblong face portion adapted to overlie said projecting portion and having a length approximately as great as the width of the intermediate portion of the case in a direction parallel to the axes of said sockets and a base Dortion that hits exactly into said socket to position said ornament exactly relative to the case so that the two ornaments of a pair are disposed with their longitudinal axes parallel to one another and appear to be part of the case, said ornaments being held by frictional engagement of their 0blong base portions in the oblong sockets against angular or translatory displacement relative to the case, the face portions of the two ornaments of a pair matching one another, and watch strap portions attached to the base portions of said ornaments and adapted to pass out through said apertures at the bottoms of said sockets.

4. The combination of a plain unornamented wrist watch case and a pair of detachable ornaments for said the case being characterized by having at opposite side edges laterally projecting portions in each of which there is an ob long socket opening at the face side of the case and having an opening from the bottom of the socket to the exte 'ior of said projecting portion, the longitudinal axes of said sockets being parallel to one another, and said pair of ornaments being one of a series of such pairs, each ornament having a face portion adapted to overlie said projecting portion and an oblong base portion that fits exactly into said socket to position said ornament exactly relativs to the case so that the ornaments appear to be part of the case and are held by said base portions against angular or translatory displacement relative to the case, the face portions of the two ornaments of a pair matching one another, and watch strap portions attached to the base portions of said ornaments and adapted to pass out through said openings at the bottoms of sockets.

5. In a wrist watch, a pl n nnornaniented watch having a central face portion and laterally projecting portions at diametrically opposite sides of said face, of projecting portions having therein an oblong socket opening at the face of the case and having aperture from bottom of the socket to the outside of said projecting portion, the longitudinal axes of said oblong sockets being parallel to one a pair of ornaments each having an oblong face portion adapted to overlie said projecting portion and having a length approximately equal to the Width of the intervening portion of the case in a direction parallel to the of said sockets and a base portion that fits exactly into said socket to position said ornament exactly relative to the case so that "the two ornaments of a pair are disposed at opposite sides of the casing with their longitudinal axes paral- 10.1 to one another and appear to be part of the case, said ornaments bein held by frictional engagement of their oblo" g base portions in the oblong sockets against angular or translatory displacement relative to the case, and watch strap portions attached to said ornaments and adapted to pass out through said apertures at the bottoms of said sockets.

6. In a wrist watch, a plain unornamented watch case having a central portion and laterally projecting portions at diametrically opposite sides of said central portion, each of said project ing portions having therein an oblong socket opening at the face of the case and having an aperture from the bottom of the socket to the outside of said projecting portion, the longitudinal axes of said oblong sockets being parallel to one another, a pair of ornaments associated respectively with the projecting portions of the case, each of said ornaments having an oblong base portion fitting said socket and an oblong face portion adapted to overlie said projecting portion and having a length approximately equal to the Width of the adjacent portion of the case in a direction parallel to the axes of said sockets, said ornaments being accurately positioned relative to the case so that the face portions of the ornaments appear to be part of the case and are held against displacement by the engagement of the base portions in said sockets, and watch strap portions attached to said ornaments and adapted to pass out through said apertures at the bottoms of said sockets.

RAPHAEL MELIK-MINASSIANTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 139,671 Pereira Dec. 5, 1944 1,591,512 Chaiken July 6, 1926 2,028,791 Lynds Jan. 28, 1936 2,155,842 Ruger Apr. 25, 1939 2,189,334 Thiebaud Feb. 6, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 70,941 Switzerland Apr. 5, 1915 138,954 Switzerland June 2, 1930 170,503 Switzerland Oct. 1, 1934 179,155 Switzerland Nov. 1, 1935 185,202 Switzerland Oct. 16, 1936 214,435 Switzerland July 16, 1941 112,154 Australia Dec. 12, 1940 

